Greetings to the good peope of the south!

Greetings to the good people of the south! Life's pretty good here up north. It's a balmy 3 degree's Celcious (close to 38 Fahrenheit) here in St. Albert. It's actually been like that for the last week or so, excluding Sunday. We actually saw the sun and blue sky last Friday! glorious! 

We had a trainer/new missionary training meeting with the mission president last week. It was good to see the old MTC buddys and learn how to be more effective missionaries. I'm starting to get a better Idea of effective ways to do missionary work. My companion and I are specifically working on organizing referrals and always asking for them, from everybody. The work is a lot more effective when the ward is involved in sharing the gospel, inviting people to come to church, and befriending and including others. Something that one of the wards in our District is doing is having a ward fast for missionary work. In Alma Chapter 6 vs. 6, the people "gather themselves together oft, and join in fasting and mighty prayer in behalf of the welfare of the souls of those who knew not God." My companion said that when they did something similar in one of his other area's, some lady called him up and wanted to go to church. There is great power in purposeful fasting and prayer.

On February 28th, we are going to be shadowed all day by members of the ward, who will be taking pictures of us and posting them on Facebook, the purpose being to improve peoples conception of missionaries and what we do. The reason for this is the "Book of Mormon" play coming to Edmonton on that date and creating all sorts of misconceptions in the public mind concerning missionaries and what we do. But it matters not.

"no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done”

We are increasing our efforts day by day and consecrating our efforts unto the lord, that they may be for the welfare of our souls and for the souls of others. I prayed for every single one of you by name yesterday: Edwards, Higginson, Strauss, Clements, Burnett, Duval, McCombs, McPherson, Clark- all of you individually, And I love all of you so much. I know you pray for me and I have felt your prayers. 

Love,

Elder Higginson